The Invasion

5 | Losses

Trouble never arrives alone.

We are not the only ones who want to leave the town. Ahead of us, the long road is blocked by several wrecked vehicles which, possibly, have collided with one another during the frenzy escape. Now, monsters rampage on their roofs, smashing through the glass and clawing after terrified humans.

This, unfortunately, includes the water serpents that are still on our tail.

One of the wheels gets punctured and our car spins around to a sudden stop. As we scream, the glass shatters around us. Shards slice across my cheek and arms, drawing blood and a sharp gasp of pain from me. Beside me, Avery shrieks out loud as a tail wraps itself around Leo's body and pulls him out through the broken window swiftly. He disappears from our sight and his frightened yelp is the last thing we hear.

Horrified tears streaking down her face, Avery screams as I reach for her. "Leo! Leo—"

But her hand slips from mine, and she's gone too.

I curse out loud. "Shit, Avery!"

I stagger out of the car and bolt after her, but something long and scaly wraps itself around my left ankle and yanks me back. Forcing me to topple over with my knees and palms scraping against the rough concrete. Looking over my shoulder, I see one of the menacing serpents raise its upper body that's twice the thickness of my body. With a loud hiss, its tail coils up and around my legs, squeezing them together and holding me in place.

A voice resounds in my head suddenly. It doesn't belong to me, it's somebody else's.

"Blood. Humans. Enemies."

Fangs sink into my arm, forcing a cry out of me. Warm blood spills from the punctured holes and it's all for the ravenous creature to drink. Using my good arm, I punch its head and eyes repeatedly, but it remains relentless. Hell, I don't even know if this serpent's bite is poisonous or not.

"Hungry. Must eat."

Blood pounds in my head. I bellow in pain and terror, close to losing my edge. My elbow jabs into the tail repeatedly, trying everything I can to get it to release me. If I had a weapon, something sharp, it would make everything easier.

A gunshot rings in the air, blowing off the serpent's head. Feeling its grip slacken, I scramble out of the disgusting prison and swivel around to meet my savior. To my sheer surprise, slender arms catch me for a quick hug and the scent of a familiar perfume envelops me.

Relief sweeps through me. "Mom!"

She pulls away from me. Her eyes run a quick scan over me and they narrow at my bleeding arm. Likewise, I mimic her actions. Mom's unscathed mostly; her hair disheveled, her white business suit has blood stains, but I don't think they belong to her. Arm with a pistol in her right hand, she's looking all gangsta like a mafia lady boss in the movies.

I used to joke about her carrying a firearm around in her bag and being overdramatic, but now, I can see how wrong I was.

As always, Mom is right.

Eyes alert and jaw set, relief floods in her eyes for a second when she sees me still alive. Taking my good arm, she steers me towards our car. "We got to go. Where's Avery and Leo?"

Cursing under my breath for forgetting my best friend, I jerk to a stop and whip around. "Avery!"

My voice drowns in the terrified screams and monstrous snarls that are happening around us. We hurry across the bloodied road and maneuver around the cars, avoiding those that have already burst into flames. Clutching my bleeding arm, I hear Mom fire a couple more shots at the creatures to clear our path.